The Darkest Side
by shimmer379
Summary: One second, one moment, one decision. One simple impulse can change hundreds of lives. Every one of us touches so many people during our time. We change so many lives, for better or for worse. And the saddest part is how much we take that for granted.
1. Elizabeth of Eldyra

**Hey everyone! Welcome to my newest story! So I'm gonna ask you to bear with me for this chapter, it is kind of a quick, poorly written introduction. We'll get into the storyline soon enough! So... ENJOY GUUUYS! **

**P.s. I don't own any of these characters, even though I wish I did :)**

* * *

The Darkest Side

* * *

One second, one moment, one decision. One simple impulse can change hundreds of lives. Every one of us touches so many people. We change so many lives, for better or for worse.

And the saddest part is how much we take that for granted.

* * *

King Jonathan walked down the busy streets of Corus on a fine monday morning, breathing in the salty smell of freshly caught fish in market stalls, and listening to the loud cry of merchants, selling everything from jewelry to exotic spices. He was taking his weekly morning stroll, just checking up on the townsfolk, like the caring ruler he is.

He was just walking by a narrow alley, when he happened upon something that made his blood run cold. He saw a young girl, no more than fourteen, struggling to get away from a slightly older young man. His grimy hands were holding her against a wall, and he betan reaching towards her blouse as she writhed beneath his grip.

"Stop that immediately!" Jonathan yelled as he ran towards the poor girl, drawing his shining strep sword from it's sheath. He hit the man across the temple with the flat end of his sword, effectively knocking him unconscious. He quickly ran to the girl's side.

She was quite beautiful, with pale, rosy skin, and green tinged hazel eyes framed by long, dark eyelashes. Her long, glossy dark brown hair laid flat on her back, all tangled up from the struggle. Her face was dirty, as well as her clothing. She even bore a striking resemblance to the notoriously beautiful Queen Thayet.

She intinctively shied away from his touch, as Jonathan reached to help her up. He saw her knuckles turn white as they gripped the wall behind her.

"I won't hurt you, don't worry! I don't bite," Jonathan reassured her with a wink. He spoke calmly as he would to a spooked horse. She gave him a tentative smile.

"My name is Jonathan. What is yours?" He asked her as he helped her onto her feet.  
She replied with a smile.

"Elizabeth."

* * *

Jonathan had heard the stories. Everyone had heard the stories. It was commonly exchanged at campfires, local gatherings, in dank little taverns cluttering the harbor. Even the sheltered noble girls discussed it whenever they escaped their daily courses for some gossip.

Elizabeth of Eldyra was a killer. She killed her parents at age eleven. They were found lying in a pool of blood, knives sticking out of their bodies, in an alley somewhere in Corus. Elizabeth had simply fled the scene. It was assumed she did it, why else would she just flee?

It was most disturbing because Fief Eldyra was a reasonably wealthy family, with loving parents, Elsa and Marc, and was a normal family in every way.

Elizabeth was known to be beautiful and talented, but with a quick temper. She had an extremely strong gift, she was supposedly able to shapeshift.

Know one knew why when her parents turned up dead in an alley, with Elizabeth gone. It was assumed that she was the one to kill them, there was no one else around on that night.

So, Jonathan felt rather conflicted when a girl turned up in an alley, two years later, looking a lot like Elizabeth of Eldyra. He fought the urge to take her straight down to the dungeons. But for some reason, he felt compelled to take her in, to help her. She just seemed so helpless, looking like she hadn't bathed or eaten in a year.

So, Jon brought her to the palace, and forever changed both of their lives.

* * *

**How was it? Terrible? Short? Thought so. Well, please favorite, review, alert, whatever you like to do! Just make sure to read the next chappie too! I promise it'll be much better! **

**-Josiane Rittevon (the crazy one with an axe)**


	2. Welcome to the Royal Palace

**So hey again everyone! Here is the second chappy, I am MUCH more happy with it than the first one. I hope everyone read on after the fail first chapter, I know I probably wouldn't have. So read, and enjoy! I promise I'll write a Kel chapter soon!**

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The Darkest Side

Chapter 2; Welcome to the Royal Palace

* * *

Elizabeth awoke in big, soft bed, wrapped in silky blue sheets. The glowing morning light was streaming through the windows, landing right in her face, effectively waking her up, like nature's alarm clock.

_What time is it? _She thought, as she rolled out of bed, groggy and sleepy.

The night before had been quite crazy. She was attacked by vile man, and then saved by another. He charged in like a knight in shining armour. Turns out, he kind of was. The man that saved her was King Jonathan. KING Jonathan. And on top of that, he invited her to stay a night at the castle! He let her eat and bathe there, without even knowing her! He must of just assumed she was a street urchin, and took pity on her.

She hadn't told him her story yet, and certaintly didn't plan on it. In fact, she didn't plan on staying for very long anyway. The more exposure she got, the more likely it would be that someone would recognize her, and she would unfairly be thrown into jail. They didn't know everything.

She quickly walked down the vast halls of the royal palace, her shoes tapping loudly on the gray marble floors. She passed by several fancy looking doors, which no doubt contained some stuffy nobles or princes or princesses.

Suddenly, she collided with a person, and smacked her head on his. They both fell to the ground, and Elizabeth hit her head once again.

"UUhhhh..." She groaned, feeling the back and front.

_Great. TWO bruises._

"Milady! I am so sorry!" A friendly male voice called out to her, as a hand reached down to help her to her feet.

"It's okay... My fault... Wasn't looking where I was going..." She slurred her words, suddenly feeling quite dizzy. Maybe a doctor would be a good idea.

_Now where was I going... To the latrine? Or to go see King William... Wait that's not right... _She questioned herself.

She looked up into two big, green eyes, framed by thick lashes. He was the most handsome man/boy she'd seen in years! He had shiny, wavy, coal black hair.

"My name is Roald. I don't believe I've met you! What is your name?" He asked her.

"Elizabeth..." She swayed a little on her feet, and not because he was so handsome. He seemed to realize her condition, and put his arm around her waist, supporting her.

"I need to get you to a healer! Come on!" He gushed. He urged her forward, and as she took a step, her knees felt wobbly. The last thing she thought was 'wait... isn't Roald the Prince's name?' before everything went dark.

* * *

She awoke on a cot, in a dark room that smelled like smoke. A kind looking man was sitting in a chair next to her. She sat up in the bed.

"Oh, good! You're awake! Gave us quite a scare, fainting like that. You hit your head pretty hard!" He explained to her, as he helped her take a sip of water.

"Huh... That's strange... Wait, who are you?" She questioned him.

"Oh, dear, I forgot to introduce myself! I am Duke Baird of Queenscove, palace healer." He informed her.

"I'm Elizabeth. Nice to meet you!"

They shook hands. Right then, a rather worried looking Roald and King Jonathan walked into the room.

"Oh my gods, I am so sorry! This is so horrible!" Roald profusely apologized to her.

"No, no, it's really my fault, I wasn't paying attention." Elizabeth reassured him.

"Well..." He chuckled. "This isn't usually how I like to introduce myself to pretty girls."

Elizabeth blushed and giggled a little.

_How sweet... He thinks I'm pretty! And he's a prince too..._ She thought as he stood up, and let his father come over and speak.

"Elizabeth! How are you feeling?" Jonathan asked her politely.

"Much better, thank you." She replied.

"Well, I would like to speak to you in private for a moment, if you don't mind." He requested of her.

"Of course, anything, My Lord." She began to feel a bit nervous, but tried not to let it show.

He gave her a warm smile. "Please, call me Jon."

* * *

They walked down the grand, sparkling halls for a few paces, until they reached a large, golden door.

He pushed the door open for her, and held it open for her.

"After you, Milady." He gave her a little wink.

She began wondering if he meant to be flirting with her, or was just always like that. How could he be consciously flirting with her, she was only fourteen!

The room was large, and grand. There were three soft looking, red velvet chairs, surrounding a small mahogany table. There were beautiful, shimmering gold drapes adorning the large, arched windows.

King Jonathan began to speak, as they sat down on two of lovely chairs.

"This is the Red Room, it is completely sound proof and spy-free. I bring people here, when I want to talk without being overheard. I know that is a bit overly cautious, but I wanted to be sure." He explained. Elizabeth began perspiring, this did not seem like a good sign. What could he possibly have to say that was this secret?

"I am guessing you have no place to go home to? I assumed you are an orphan, seeing as you didn't object to staying the night at the castle. Am I correct?"

Elizabeth nodded, confirming his suspisions.

"And your name is Elizabeth?"

She nodded again, worrying a little more than before. This was not looking good.

Jonathan looked almost... Curious, as he continued.

"You see, Roald has friend, Faleron, I believe, whose parents were friends with Elsa and Marc of Eldyra. They had a daughter, whose name was Elizabeth. She was described to me as looking like... you."

She paled as she heard this, a sheen of sweat shining on her forehead.

"I was also told she brutally murdered her parents, before running off into the streets of Corus, never to be seen again. That wouldn't happen to be you, would it?"

Elizabeth was scared, sweating like it was in the middle of the summertime. She couldn't take the stress.

"It was me! Please don't arrest me! I promise I didn't do it! They were thieves that killed my parents! I only ran away to protect myself! I promise, I sw-"

Jonathan cut her off.

"Elizabeth, it's okay! I believe you! I don't think any child could murder their parents like that. I won't arrest you, you poor girl. How have you managed, all these years, on your own?"

She felt incredibly relieved. She breathed a big sigh of relief.

"I have the gift, to some extent. And I have always been street savvy... But I'd rather not share that much more. Those years were not pretty. You do not want to know my darkest side."

Her eyes darkened, and she felt angry, and sad, as she thought about her stolen innocence, and the years she lost living that horrible life on the streets.

Jon tried to lighten the mood.

"Well, I will respect that. So, Elizabeth. Can I call you Lizzy? Elizabeth is a bit of a mouthfull."

"Of course, your Maj- Oops! I mean Jon."

He gave her a warm smile, and began to stand up. He offered her a hand, and then they began to walk towards the door.

"So, Lizzy, I know this is a little, I don't know... forward, but, since you have no home, feel welcome to live here at the palace."

Lizzy's mouth dropped wide open.

"I can _live _here?"

"Of course, we have plenty of extra rooms here. You are completely welcome! I will make sure everyone knows it wasn't you who killed your parents. You can go to school here, eat with the pages if you want, maybe you can even be introduced in court when you come of age, and get the life of a noble's daughter you would have had, and-"

He paused to take a breath.

"I'm sorry, I get a little over excited sometimes. I do love children, and my wife would love to have another girl to spoil."

"OF COURSE I'LL STAY!" She shouted with joy. This would be fantastic! So much better than living on the streets, selling herself so she wouldn't starve to death.

"Well, I suppose it's settled then. Why don't we go figure out the best room for you, then?"

* * *

**Better? I hope it was! Please favorite, alert, or review! Constructive criticism is welcome, just no flames please! I hope you enjoyed!**

**-Josiane Rittevon**


	3. Anger, Crushes, and Advice

**WATSUP?! I'm back, this time with a Kel chapter! I really hope at least someone favorites or alerts, or something! I feel like a failure because no one is enjoying my story (or reading it in the first place). If you do happen to stumble upon this hidden treasure (just kidding, it's not even close to a treasure) please review and tell me if there is something majorly wrong with my writing and/or story. See you at the bottom!**

* * *

The Darkest Side

Chapter 3; Anger, Crushes, and Advice

* * *

It was a lazy, warm sunday afternoon, and the breeze was gently blowing Kel's short brown hair back from her face, while she sat outside the palace on the emerald green grass.

The sky was a lovely, deep blue, with not a cloud in sight. The sun was high up in the sky, shedding warm light on her tan, freckled face. She could hear Lord Wyldon yelling at another page, somewhere off in the distance. Luckily, this time it didn't involve her.

_I hope he doesn't come over here, barking at me to do chores... That would ruin my day off._ Kel thought to herself a little worriedly. She loved training to become a knight, but all the work in the stables (and arithmetic) almost made it not worth it. Almost.

Kel was twelve, and had made it past her probationary year with flying colors. She was now in her second year as a page.

Suddenly she felt a hand cover her eyes.

In a falsley gruff voice, someone spoke in her ear.

"This is a robbery! Give me all your money!"

Kel, by reflex, quickly and easily flipped her attacker over her shoulder, directly onto his backside.

Unsurprisingly, her mystery attacker was Neal, who was now rubbing his arse, and shooting her dirty looks, as she giggled her head off. Which is saying something, because Kel is not a giggler.

"Gods, Kel, you are no fun!"

"Well, you shouldn't have just grabbed me like that! I thought you would have figured that out from all those times I beat you sparring.

"Oh well. It's no big deal. I forgive you for possibly shattering my entire back and making me a cripple for the rest of my life. Again, no big deal."

That earned him a good slap to the head, before Kel stood up, and started to walk away.

Neal called after her.

"Wait up, Kel!" He shouted after her, and she turned around to let him catch up.

"Kel, let's go find Roald. I need to get my lance back from him today, he borrowed it after he broke his on friday. Will you come with me?" Neal asked her, bordering on begging. He didn't want to go himself, it would be so boring walking all the way across the castle on his own.

Kel hesitated, then agreed.

"Oh, Keladry of Mindelan, you are the most wonderful, amazing girl ever in the world!"

Even though she knew he was playing around, his words sent butterflys through her chest. She frowned, pondering why that could be.

* * *

They walked through the palace halls, joking and laughing, having a good time. Only as the sun began to dip down beneath the horizon, did they realize that had been "searching" for Roald afternoon! They were just having too much fun to actually find him.

Suddenly, they ran into Neal's father.

"Oh, hello Neal. Hello Kel." Duke Baird greeted them warmly.

"Hello Father! You haven't happened to see Roald around anywhere, have you?" Neal asked him.

"Why, in fact, I just saw him! He is most likely in his chambers. I would check there."

Neal and his Father exchanged nods, and then Duke Baird went on his way.

Kel and Neal made their way to Prince Roald's chamber, and knocked on the door.

Roald opened the door, with a dreamy look on his face.

"Oh, hello Kel, Neal. Come in, come in." He told them, sounding rather _out of it._

"I wonder what's up with him..." Neal whispered to Kel, so that Roald wouldn't overhear.

Roald sat down in a chair, and before Neal could ask for his lance, began talking.

"Guess what? I met this girl. She was wonderful. Beautiful. AMAZING! I know you probably don't care to hear this, but I think I'm in love."

Neal and Kel looked at him, mildy shocked.

"With who?!" Neal questioned him.

"She just came to the palace, her name is Elizabeth. My father found her in Corus. He told me she is and orphan. She has really pretty hair..." Roald just randomly started to trail off, probably thinking about that Elizabeth girl.

"Well, Roald. That is good to know. Now where is my lance?"

Roald looked a little confused.

"Lance...? What lan- Oh yeah! I put it back with the rest of the lances..." He began to trail off again.

_Well, that's great. Wasted afternoon... Except for the time I got to spend with Neal._ Kel thought wistfully.

Kel and Neal decided to take their leave.

"Well, goodbye Roald... Hope you, uh, see that girl you like again." Kel told him, as they left the room, and gently closed the door so they wouldn't disturb Roald's daydreaming.

* * *

Neal and Kel said their goodbyes, and then went off to bed, so as not to be tired for early morning sparring the next morning.

Kel flopped out on her bed, and started talking to her quiet maid, Lalasa.

"Lalasa, the strangest things happened to me today. We went to go see Roald, and he was all mushy. He said he was in love."

Lalasa looked at her with fondness, obviously thinking how cute she was.

"You will not think this strange in a few years, when you are his age."

Kel glared at her.

"Lalasa I have something serious to tell now. I think I don't like Neal anymore."

"Milady! Why would you think that? He is your best friend!"

"I don't know... I didn't think I didn't like him, but then when I talked to him it felt like my heart was going to fall out, and I was going to throw up. That could only mean one thing, that I don't like him anymore, right?"

It then dawned on Lalasa what this meant.

"Oh, milady, this just means you have a crush on him!"

Kel was relieved, but shocked! She was used to having control over everything... But now she didn't have control over one thing. Her heart.

"Seriously?! How is that possible? I certaintly did not give it permission to do that!"

"My lady Keladry, someday you will learn that the heart tends to do as it pleases."

* * *

The following morning at breakfast, when Kel saw Neal again, she acted like everything was normal when Neal came up to greet her.

They ate their breakfast immersed in pleasant chatter, and then began the long trek across the castle to the practice courts. They were almost halfway there, when they spotted something rather interesting.

"Don't you EVER touch me again, or I swear, I will RIP off your head and feed it to the palace dogs!"

A girl, not much older than Kel, was yelling at Joren, who was cowering in a corner like a scared puppy.

"Am I being clear? Do you _comprehend_?" She screamed at him, menacingly, before Kel and Neal decided to intervene.

Kel was the first to speak, having such a kind heart, even for her enemies (like Joren).

"What in the name of Mithros is going on here?!" She pushed the girl aside, which she did not appreciate.

"YOU STUPID FRIEND OF THIS FRICKIN PERVERT DON'T TOUCH ME EITHER!" She said before storming off, stomping and yelling like a bull.

_That was... really disturbing. Especially because she thought we were Joren's friends._ Kel thought to herself as she helped Joren up from the ground. Sometime during the chaos he got knocked to the ground, most likely by the scary girl.

Joren was to freaked out to think of some witty insult, or somehow mentally or physically hurt Kel and Neal, so he just stood there with a stunned look on his face.

"Joren what just happened?"

"Uuuh... I tried to uhh... And she got really mad and then I uhh... Got really scared..." Joren mumbled, before darting away, scared and embarassed.

_Wow, that must be one tough girl to frighten him like that. _Kel thought. Then it dawned on her.

"Wait, Neal, didn't Roald say there was a new girl at the palace?"

"Yeah... Why?"

"Well, I've never seen this girl before. Do you think this could be the girl Roald is in love with?" Kel asked him.

Neal's mouth dropped open.

"Oh my goodness, I think you're right! She was very, very pretty..." Neal suddenly got a faraway look in his eyes. That same mushy look as Roald had the other night.

_Oh, no! Not again! And it's Neal too..._ Kel suddenly felt very sad and depressed. She had heard noble girls telling stories of having their hearts broken, but never really understood why it was such a big fuss. Now she did.

She felt as though the world was coming to an end. Like she slowly falling into a deep, black abyss of despair. It sucked.

_Why does it hurt so much to have the boy you love, in love with someone else?_

* * *

**Was it fabulous? Probably not. But at least I got a kel chapter! I know it probably seems silly, having all these boys in love with Lizzy, but all will be revealed soon! I'm sure y'all are just _DYING_ to know what Lizzy's mysterious past is... You'll have to wait and see! PLEASE FAVORITE REVIEW ALERT I CRAVE RECOGNITION. What can I say, I'm an attention hog. **

**-Josiane Rittevon**


	4. Discovery

**Hello here! Look at me, updating again. I'm so proud of myself. That was sarcasm, fyi. I got a fave and an alert, and two reviews, so I figured I might as well not let down those two people. And I've been having fun writing! And that is most important. A story fails miserably if the author doesn't want to be writing. (E.g. my last fanfic) So, read on, and please enjoyyy!**

* * *

The Darkest Side

Chapter 4; Discovery

* * *

Lizzy was angry. Not just a little angry. REALLY angry. It was only her second day at the palace, and already she was being harassed! She had had trouble with men before, but not this much! This was almost unbearable!

She had been walking through the halls, minding her own business, when out of nowhere, she was assaulted by some vile boy, a few years older than her. Her first impression would normally be good, he was quite handsome after all. He had lovely white-blonde hair, and striking blue eyes. But, a good look in them and you could tell he was a mean person. He had that look, deep down inside that told you he was an angry person. Lizzy was quite good at reading people.

She thought back on the incident.

_Lizzy walked down the halls of the palace, her beautifuly crafted noblewomen's lacey shoes making loud noises on the stone floor. She walked briskly, determined to get back to her rooms after a morning stroll through the palace gardens. It was her second day at the palace, and not too many people had discovered she was there yet, so she could wander without being bothered by nosy maids and matchmaking noble mothers._

_Suddenly this teenage boy comes up to her, with a cocky smirk on his face._

_"Well, well. What do we have here? A pretty new court lady? What's your name?" He grinned as he said this, inappropriately incasing her in his arms, trapping her against a wall._

_Lizzy suddenly became quite upset._

_"What business is it to you?" She angrily countered. He just grabbed her arms, holding her harder. She squeaked, his grip on her arms hurting her._

_"Don't touch me, you foul swine of a man!" She gripped his arms right back, and hooked his leg with her ankle, and pulled, knocking him on his backside. _

_She clenched her fists so hard it turned her knuckles white. She backed him up against the same wall he had her against, with him still on his arse._

_She began to scream at him, yelling so loudly without caring who heard. With each shout, he seemed to shrink even smaller._

_Then, only fanning the flames of Lizzys rage, two of the blonde boy's friends came up, a tall, stocky girl, and a handsome sandy haired boy._

_The girl had the balls to push Lizzy aside, which only made her explode! _

_"YOU STUPID FRIEND OF THIS FRICKIN PERVERT DON'T TOUCH ME EITHER!" Lizzy screamed at the girl, unleashing all of her fury on her._

_Somehow, the girl stayed calm. Her face was placid, like a calm lake in one of the forests of fief Eldyra. _

_Lizzy had a quick moment of inner turmoil, before deciding to flee before someone got hurt. She spun on her heels, and stomped off to her rooms._

Suddenly, Lizzy was brought back to the present by a big hand on her shoulder.

She spun around quickly, her hands curling into fists, ready for a fight.

"Whoa! Calm down! I'm not gonna hurt you!"

It was the blonde boy's friends, the handsome boy and the tall girl.

Lizzy glared at them suspicously. "What do you want?"

"We uh, just wanted to, uh, tell you that we're umm... Not friends with Joren." Neal stammered, looking nervous. Kel sighed, frustrated with her friend's silly crush. She stepped in front of him.

"Hi. I'm Kel, and this is Neal. I just wanted to apologize for pushing you like that. It was very rude of me." Kel apologized to her, her yamani calm working it's magic.

"I'm Elizabeth, or just Lizzy. Ane that's okay. I guess you just didn't want me hurting your _little friend._" Lizzy let a little venom slip into her voice.

"Oh my gosh, we are so not his friends! Joren is a foul, loathsome little-" Kel cut herself off, and took a deep breath, bringing back the yamani calm.

"I just wanted to make sure you didn't murder him, or anything." She gave a tentative smile as she said this, and in return, Lizzy grinned a dazzling smile.

"Oh, good. I was starting to worry that I would be some outcast, with everyone best friends with this Joren kid!" Kel giggled, and Lizzy's grin widened, stretching from ear to ear. Neal was still standing behind Kel, staring at Lizzy like an idiot.

They stood like that for a moment, until Kel broke the silence, asking the question on her and Neal's mind.

"So. What happened with Joren? Or, more importantly, how did you make him so scared?!"

"Well... He kind of, I don't know, 'forced himself' on me. It was very obnoxious. So, I yelled a little, and I swear to god he just crumpled like a piece of paper! It was wierd!"

Kel and Neal stood silently, taking in the information. How could this girl scare Joren so bad? He was never scared!

Lizzy suddenly spoke up.

"Well, I better get going. It's getting kind of late, I have to get back to my rooms. Are you guys pages here?"

Kel and Neal nodded. Lizzy looked mildly shocked.

"Wait a second... That must mean you are Keladry of Mindelan, second female page ever! Oh my, you and the Lioness are like, my idols!" Kel grinned sheepishly in response to Lizzy's enthusiasm. She was flattered, and embarassed.

"Wow... Well, I'll come eat with the pages tomorrow, so I'll be seeing you two." Lizzy bid them farewell, and shot Neal smile that made him go all soft. That hurt Kel more than she wanted to let on.

She had to work extra hard to keep her yamani calm in place.

* * *

Lizzy made it to her rooms, and plopped down on her bed, smiling contentedly.

_Two new friends... And it's only my second day here! Although, the boy seemed a little strange. _She thought to herself, giggling a little.

She kicked off her shoes, and put on a more comfortable dress. It was a pretty rosey pink, made out of the softest velvet. It had quarter sleeves, with a square neck and cute lace trim.

She sat down in a wooden chair, and looked around, appreciating her lovely chambers.

The main color scheme was green, with flowing green drapes hanging over big, sunny westward facing windows. They would let lovely afternoon light in. The bedspread was a gorgeous emerald green, made out of shiny silk. The pillows matched the light green of the drapes. There was also a dresser, and a desk which Lizzy currently sat at.

The room was quite spacious, despite the modest amount of furniture. The floor was covered with a soft rug, seemingly depicting a forest.

Suddenly, a knock at the door startled Lizzy, as she quickly stood up, slipped on some shoes, and answered the door.

She opened it to find a tall, black haired man, with light brown skin in his early thirties.

"Hello. You must be Elizabeth. Jonathan told me about you. My name is Numair Salmalin." He greeted her.

Lizzy stifled a gasp. Numair Salmalin is the most powerful mage in the Eastern Lands! She quickly ushered him in, afraid of angering him. He could easily turn her into a tree, like he had already done.

She tried to be extra careful. "Hello, my Lord. Yes, my name is Elizabeth, but you can call me Lizzy."

Numair grinned, his eyes sparkling.

"My Lord? I think Numair is just fine. I am certaintly not a royal enough for that!" He joked with her, trying to loosen her up. He could tell she was uncomfortable.

"Don't worry Lizzy. It's not like I'm a mass murderer. You don't need to be so anxious!" He smiled again, his eyes crinkling up. He waved his hand, and a strange, blue shimmering dust settled over her, and she instantly felt herself relax.

"Better?"

She nodded, grateful for the much-needed magic.

"So, let's get down to business. You arrived here two days ago, late at night, correct?"

Lizzy nodded again, curious, and thankfully no longer nervous.

"Two nights ago, I felt a strange presence arrive at the palace. It was, you could say, raw power. An extremely strong gift. It woke me, too." He chuckled.

"It weighed down the air, making everything feel heavy and sleepy almost. No one else felt it, really. I have just trained myself to sense these things. So, when Jonathan told me the following morning that he found an urchin in the street who may or may not have the gift, I decided to check things out."

Lizzy was confused, to say the least. Could the source of power be her? Impossible! She wasn't that powerful!

"Lizzy, I believe you have an incredibly powerful gift. More powerful than anything I've ever seen. Maybe even more than me!" He chuckled again.

"Have you ever had any training? Did you even know you had the gift?" Numair questioned her. She spoke up, excited to hear that she might be even more powerful than the most powerful mage in the world!

"I haven't had any training, but I did know I have the gift. I use it quite often, actually."

"What do you use it for?" Numair eagerly asked her, surprisingly excited about new, fresh talent.

"Well... I do all the normal things. Lighting candles, and such. I can heal a little too, but I'm not very good. As I said before, I haven't had any training. But, the most useful thing I do is shapeshifting. I can't change into other creatures, but I can change into different humans really easily. It only takes a second."

Numair stifled a gasp. Of all the things that mages could do, this was incredibly rare! The closest he had ever witnessed, was Daine shifting into different animals. And even that was very rare, and only possible because she had so much wild magic.

"Lizzy, that is amazing! No wonder I could feel your gift when you first got here! Are you good with animals?" He asked here, curious to see if she had wild magic. The palace could always use a second wild mage.

"No, unfortunately not. Animals have always disliked me. Especially cats." She internally shuddered, remembering an old friend's three cats, who would always hiss and scratch at her.

"Well, I guess that rules out wild magic. Do you mind if I assess your different powers? I recently figured out how to do that, and I would very much like to test it out on someone. Well?"

She eagerly nodded, and he stepped out of his chair and walked towards her. He raised his arms, and mumbled a few incoherent words, and then placed both of his hands on her temples.

Suddenly she felt very dizzy, but not uncomfortably. She just felt as if the room was spinning. She closed her eyes, and when she did she saw a bright red light. It flooded her mind, leaving room for no other thoughts. It penetrated every memory, every thought, and every secret. She struggled for control over her own mind, but something kept her from herself. She couldn't even open her eyes!

Suddenly, she was jolted back to reality, as Numair shook her, rather violently.

"Wake up, dammit! WAKE UP!"

She slowly pried her eyes open. She felt like throwing up. The room was till spinning, and this time it was not pleasant.

She surprised a panicked Numair by dashing up, and ran to the latrine just in time, before spewing out the contents of her supper.

She coughed three times, and then rinsed her hands and mouth and walked back into her room.

Numair immediately rushed over to her, and helped sit down. She grimaced.

"Oh my god Lizzy, are you alright?!" He gushed, obviously worried. She just wondered why (apart from her so suddenly throwing up, all she had done was close her eyes for a moment.)

"Yes, I'm fine. I guess I just don't react very well spells." She let out a little nervous giggle.

"Lizzy, it's not okay. That spell I wanted to try out... I guess I should've tested it on an animal or something first. You were out for an hour! I was worried that I killed you!"

Lizzy was caught off guard by that.

_An hour?! I just closed my eyes for a few moments!_ She thought, with a confused and dazed look on her face, as Numair went to get her a glass of cold water to help fully wake her up and counter the effects of the botched spell.

"I am so sorry! I had no idea that would happen! I really need to stop testing these things on real people." Numair profusely apologized to her.

"It's okay, no big deal. At least I didn't miss any meals. So, did you at least get the information you wanted?" Lizzy wondered, hoping the unpleasant experience was not in vain.

"Luckily, yes. Would you like to know what powers I found in you? It's quite fascinating, actually."

"Of course!" Lizzy furiously nodded.

"So, no surprise, I found the shapeshifting. I also found all the usual, just having the capacity to do most spells. You have a huge amount of raw power in you, you'll be very powerful."

Lizzy gave him a meaningful look, telling him to keep going!

"And the most unexpected thing is your control over men." He was cut off by Lizzy snorting.

"You have got to be kidding! Control over men? Please tell me you are not serious."

"No, I am, honest! It is the kind of power that is more subconscious, you are not really controlling it. Many of the world's most influential people have had things like this. I believe our King has a trace of something similar to you, but not nearly as powerful."

Lizzy was too shocked to say anything in response, she just gaped at him.

"I'm sure at some point in your life, you have noticed men more susceptible to persuasion by you, or men have followed you around or easily fallen in love?"

Lizzy got a strange look of recognition on her face and she began to realize he might be telling the truth.

He explained to her that he could get her a charm to get rid of the effects the following day, so she wouldn't end up accidentally stealing people's husbands. They talked about that for a few minutes, before he stood up, and walked to the door.

"Well, Lizzy, it is getting quite late, so I'd best get on to my rooms. I'll see you around sometime."

She smiled and waved at him.

As he was walking out the door, he quickly turned and peeped his head through.

"You know, it's not just your gift. Your beauty certaintly doesn't hurt the men chasing you." He told her playfully. He winked at her and shot her a dazzling grin, and then left the room, closing the door quietly behind him

She sighed.

_He had better get that amulet soon..._ She thought to herself as she got ready for bed.

* * *

**Phew! That took all day to write! I hope it was good! PLEASE REVIEW, FAVE, OR FOLLOW! I'LL LOVE YOU FOREVER! **

**Toodles! **

**-Josiane Rittevon **


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